Dell aims for BYOD security with Credant buy

Dell has made yet another security acquisition, snapping up data protection form Credant Technologies for an undisclosed sum.

Dell says Credant currently secures around 2 million endpoints such as mobile devices, and it is in this space that Dell will look to exploit its newly acquired technology. Dell points out that Credant's technology supports multiple mobile operating systems, making it an important part of the bring your own device (BYOD) trend.

The company's encryption technology will enable Dell to offer data protection not only on the devices themselves but also when the data is "in flight" between devices and data centres, for example.

"The Credant assets will complement and extend current Dell device security features to make Dell Latitude, OptiPlex and Precision PCs some of the world's most secure," said Jeff Clarke, president, End User Computing Solutions at Dell.

"And when combined with the change in compute behaviours and data in-flight, Dell can now offer a differentiated security proposition based on its own Intellectual Property."

Dell has been on a huge spending spree over the last few years as it looks to move away from its traditional stronghold of PC sales. The company is echoing what IBM did a number of years ago and what HP is doing now in moving away from low-margin hardware to software and services, which offer a much higher margin.

Dell's aim is to keep offering the hardware as well, meaning it wants to be able to sell hardware that will sit on desks, in the data centre and in pockets but also offer much of the software and services that will run on the devices.